Happy 1/2 Birthday Caleb Paul!

Happy 6 Months Little Man!

His Stats:

Caleb is 18 lbs, 1 oz (59%- a huge jump from 19% at his 4 month check up...poor baby was starving- I still hate that for some reason I wasn't making enough milk, but I am so thankful he is growing so well) and 28 1/8 in long (95%). He grew so much this past month. We think he gained 3 lbs in this month alone, and before this he was only gaining 1 lb per month. He can still fit into 6 months clothes, but most are getting pretty snug. So he mainly wears 6-9 month or 9 month clothes and in the pictures above he is wearing a 12 mo onesie. His eyes started to change color this month- they are grey in the center and deep blue around the edges, so maybe they will be brown after all. Only time will tell. Caleb is getting more hair by the day and it all sticks straight up, but we love it.

Skills/Milestones

This month was a month of fine tuning skills he started at the end of last month

• Standing: He has liked to stand since he was 4 weeks old, and often we would "stand" him up while holding him to make him happy when he was fussy. He also had uncanny balance and could stand for a few seconds at a time when he was really young (like 6 weeks or so):

6 weeks

11 ish weeks

But now that he has gotten heavier and taller, he doesn't balance as well without holding onto something. He can however, stand when he is using a table or something like that for support:

babies in jeans <3

Trying to take a comparison picture- it's crazy how fast babies grow their first year of life!

• Sitting: He can now sit for several minutes without falling over. This has opened up a whole new world of new ways of playing with toys!

• taking a bath without the sling insert and "sitting" like a big boy

check out that baby arm muscle!

• Starting solids! We decided to being solids at 24 weeks because Mommy really wanted to (and that's kind of like 6 months, right?) ;) Plus, the doctor said we could start between 4 and 6 months and now that I am supplementing it seemed like not as big of a deal to wait the full 6 months. We are making our own purees (super easy! And no special equipment needed)- check out this great website my best friend shared with me: http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/.  I have also read a lot about Baby Led Weaning, and we are letting him practice "feeding" himself as well. So far he has tried bananas, applesauce, avocado, carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, green beans and zuchinni and the classic rice cereal. We think sweet potatoes and avocados are his favorites so far.

chomping/sucking on some steamed zuchinni

carrots- not so sure what he thinks of them

bananas are hard to eat because they are so slippery

avocado and broccoli and that face, haha

Daddy spoon feeding him some cereal- he is so ready for more...we are trying to teach him sign language but he hasn't caught on yet

he prefers feeding himself...but that is pretty messy

we sure think Caleb is Super :)

He finally almost fits into the hat we got him at Christmas

• Caleb will reach for things with one hand (all the time- he especially loves doing this with the mobile over his changing table) and transfers things back and forth between his hands

(a little hard to see- but he always becomes obsessed with grabbing the little critters that hang from his mobile when I pick him up after changing him; he also got a little distracted by me taping him)

• He can be on his hands and knees for a few seconds at a time and has started to scoot on his own backwards
• He has officially become a rolling machine (both ways all the time). But he also really likes to do "360s" and rotate himself around and around in circles.
• A huge milestone of SLEEP was reached this month. On an average night, Caleb wakes up 1 time to eat. But last week he had 3 nights in a row where he slept 10-11 hours straight!! (This is a miracle for him...I still woke up because I have been used to waking up for 6 months, but still- he slept! Praise the Lord!). He is also consistently taking 2, 1.5-2 hour naps. We are so very thankful.
• He is just overall happier- Caleb loves people and is very content being worn in the Baby Bjorn looking out, rather we are grocery shopping, at the Rodeo or on a walk- he just loves people watching. He will smile at almost everyone, too. Caleb is also becoming a better car rider. I think he gets super hot in his carseat (and his head is almost within an inch of the top), so we may switch him to a convertible one soon. But for the first time in his life, I have actually been using the Key Fit caddy this month some and not having to unbuckle him out of his carseat when we go places. It sure is nice to just snap him in and go. He used to scream in his carseat so we could never do this, so I am so thankful for all of the changes. I think this month has been my favorite so far. I am so thankful to be his Momma.
• Caleb now stays in the nursery at church! (and they even said he took a nap- what?!!?- I still can't believe it (he hardly ever naps in noise and distraction) last Sunday)
• Has a funny sense of humor. He thinks it's hilarious when we "Neigh" like a horse, say "Naked!", smack our lips, do the Wobble, make our "dance face"... We wish we could bottle up that laughter...there is nothing quite sweeter than hearing your baby giggle. It always makes our day.

Daddy's funny dance moves

Lip Smackin'

                                                                           Naked!

Events

It was a month of celebrating birthdays!

• Uncle Blake!

Uncle Blake's Birthday

Happy Birthday Uncle Blake!

• Meagan's 30th!

• Allison's Surprise 30th Birthday!

Caleb was a little intrigued by Kate :)

• Got to meet sweet Melissa!

• Went to his first musical, in which his second cousin, Katelyn had the lead!

the prettiest and best Cat in the Hat

• Uncle Tanner and Aunt Hayden and Gigi and Poppy came into town! And Caleb went to his first Rodeo!

sliding with Poppy!

He was very interested in looking at the Rodeo Events- we couldn't get him to look at the camera

• I took Caleb to get the old timey "traditional" 6 month milestone pictures - I figured we would try it out once and see if we liked it. I think I still like pictures outside better, but it was a pleasant experience and we hadn't had his picture professionally taken yet (except for Newborn pics). The photographer was super fast and complementary of Caleb. She said he was great "socially" for his age and so easy to get to smile (this was such a HUGE change from when we had his pictures taken at 9 days old and he kept screaming). 

God is so good and so faithful. I am so honored to be Caleb's Mom. I am trying to enjoy each season. I still cannot believe he has been here for half of the year! I am trying to treasure each day...and make the most of every moment:

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is....giving thanks ALWAYS and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" Ephesians 5:17, 20

These days pass by so very quickly. We are not promised tomorrow. We are not promised a clear report at the doctors office or a safe trip to work. The things we do daily, we so easily take for granted. I am really trying to soak up each moment with this little guy, to hug him knowing that he won't always let me hug him so easily, to kiss him knowing that one day he won't really want Mom to plaster his cheeks with kisses, and to pray for him and his salvation and to ask God to graciously make his days long on this earth so we can enjoy him for as long as we are living. There is so much pain and loss and heartbreak in this world. Life is hard- so we truly need to make it a habit of counting our blessings and focusing on the good the Lord has handed us.